Florida vacay...Day 1 & 2

We left on Saturday, May 29th for a week in Orlando Florida with my immediate family. That included: my parents Randy and Pam, my older sister Carey, her husband Dan, their daughter Elizabeth, my younger brother Cory, his wife Candice, their son Gavin, my youngest brother Randy Jr., Grant and I and our two boys Garrett and Gunner...whew! If you lost count, that's 13 people in all! 9 adults and 4 kids ages 4 and under...YIPPEE!!!

Our flight was scheduled to leave Tulsa at 12:45pm. Naturally, if it were just you and your spouse traveling or a small group, you would need to arrive at the airport only an hour prior to departure. But, we had a large group, a LOT of luggage, and there was already a problem with some of the boarding passes. So we got there about two hours early...to find out our flight had been delayed to 2 something. Oh, and we were going to miss our connecting flight in Atlanta and there wasn't anything else out that night. So, thanks to my daddy and his inability to settle (love ya dad!), we were changed to another carrier and would be departing at 5:45pm. I don't know if you know it or not, but the Tulsa International Airport isn't THAT AMAZING and especially with young kids to be stuck there for that long. The highlight of the long wait was the food voucher and the first class seating we'd be receiving on our connecting flight from Dallas to Orlando. Not that I would EVER pay that much extra, but First Class is NICE...the warm nuts, hot towel, drinks, dinner, tons of extra room so momma can be mauled by the children...LOVED ME SOME FIRST CLASS!!!

We settled in to our Villa at The Caribe Royale around midnight and did some groggy grocery shopping to stock up for a few days. The Villas were super nice...great pool, daily maid service, plenty of room, and very relaxing.

Sunday was "Day 1" of the parks. We chose to go to Disney's Animal Kingdom. IT WAS AMAZING! I love zoos though, so that may be why I liked it so much. It was LUSH...tons of vegetation around. You weren't just walking around on hot, black asphalt all day long in the sun and humidity. You got to enjoy the humidity while in the shade! :-)

Animal Kingdom has the Kilimanjaro Safari Rides...AMAZING, AMAZING, AMAZING!!! The details just floor you. You're riding along in a safari-type vehicle with open sides. There are TONS of animals, but no fences. The barriers are not easily seen, if seen at all, between you and the animals so it is like being on a real safari. They even go so far as to make the road you are driving on look like mud with tire tracks through the mud, ruts, and animal tracks. There were so many neat animals and vegetation. The kids were wide-eyed with wonder. Here are a few pictures from the safari ride:

Alligators:
Hippos under the water:

Rhinos:

Animal Kingdom also has the "Tree of Life." Again, AMAZING! The detail is just outrageous. There are carvings all in it. You also go into the tree for at least one ride called "It's Tough To Be A Bug" featuring the characters from "It's a Bug's Life." I'm not sure if there were other things to see or do in the tree.
One of the many carvings in the "Tree of Life." Is that cool or what?

And, because I forget how the blogger loads photos...below is the boys on their first ever plane ride!!! This was on our small flight to Dallas...before we became pompous and arrogant first class people...bwahaahaha! (Another "Sorry" to Cory, Candice, Gavin, and Randy Jr who did not get the luxuries of first class and had to sit in coach for the long flight to Orlando...I didn't enjoy the warmed nuts that much.)
Awww, heck, who am I kidding? FIRST CLASS ROCKED!!!!

Days 3-8 to follow.....